What Will Be Manchester United's Strongest Midfield in the 2015/16 Season?
That the season approaches with any uncertainty over Manchester United's strongest midfield is something of a novelty for the Red Devils.
In the last few years of Sir Alex Ferguson's Old Trafford reign, he appeared to pay a confusing lack of attention to the centre of the pitch. Following Roy Keane's inglorious dismissal in 2005, fans pined for someone to be brought in to replace him.
It never happened.
It seems reasonable to argue that Keane is one of football's true irreplaceables, with a combination of underrated technical ability and more will to win than it is safe to put into one human being. It is also the case that the game moved on and a destroyer of Keane's ferocity was probably no longer what was needed.
Sir Alex did try to replace him in a way. Before Keane's departure and up until his retirement in 2013, he brought in plenty of midfielders. Some—such as Owen Hargreaves and Anderson—were unlucky with injury, and some—such as Eric Djemba-Djemba and Liam Miller—were simply a swing and a miss.
He tried to bring through young midfielders too, but neither Darron Gibson nor Tom Cleverley made the United grade in the long term.
Thus it was that Paul Scholes had to come out of retirement and that a young Paul Pogba watched on as Rafael and Ji-Sung Park started as a centre-midfield two. Thus it also was that Michael Carrick's fitness and presence in the starting XI became genuinely vital to Sir Alex and the managers who have followed.
The 2015/16 season will be the first time in a long time that Michael Carrick is not a guaranteed starter.
Since Sir Alex retired, United have brought in the following players who are either out-and-out central midfielders or can play there: Marouane Fellaini, Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Angel Di Maria, Daley Blind, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Di Maria's United future is the subject of much speculation. Darren Lewis of the Mirror reported on Friday that "PSG expect to leave North America next weekend with £45.9million Angel Di Maria as their player."
The rest of this article is written on the presumption that Di Maria will not be playing in United red next season. If he is, then finding a way to incorporate him into a midfield three seems an excellent option for Louis van Gaal. Playing alongside, say, Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger would allow the Argentine a chance work his magic.
Unfortunately, that seems increasingly unlikely to come to pass. So in the presumed absence of Di Maria, how will Van Gaal make best use of his plethora of midfield talent in the season ahead?
In a 3
So far, United's International Champions Cup fixtures have seen them play in a 4-4-1-1/4-2-3-1 hybrid (more of which later). However, during their brief run of genuinely exciting form last season, 4-3-3 was the order of the day.
Specifically, it was a 4-3-3 with one holding midfielder and two who formed part of the attack when United were in possession. In Fellaini and Herrera, Van Gaal had attacking midfielders who were more than happy to dig in and fight for the ball—from deeper positions—when United lost possession.
The system worked much less effectively once Carrick was injured. Against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Herrera filled in for Carrick, with Wayne Rooney dropping into attacking midfield and Radamel Falcao playing up front. It was not so much the specific absence of Carrick as the domino effect it caused that was the problem.
If the same situation were to arise this season, it should be much less of an issue. In Schneiderlin, Van Gaal has brought in a superb Carrick replacement. Indeed, given Carrick's age and Schneiderlin's physicality, the Frenchman is arguably an improvement.
Of course, few players in the Premier League can match Carrick for pass selection and accuracy, but getting stuck in has never been his forte.
In the modern game, the notion of a flat-out best XI is a slightly reductive one. Carrick or Schneiderlin may be better suited to the other for specific games. Thus in the theoretical midfield three, they share holding duties.
Ahead of them Herrera should retain his place. He was United's best outfielder last season. He adds so much to the side, both in terms of his attacking and his defensive work. He has proved a superb match for the Premier League, and it would be a real shame if the new players supersede him.
On the left-hand side, though, Schweinsteiger should replace Fellaini. Rather than playing the holding role, the German World Cup winner should operate further up the pitch. He will be 31 when the season starts, and a couple of years down the line, a move deeper could suit him.
For now, though, his superb technical ability is best deployed in a more attacking capacity.
This probably works best ahead of Schneiderlin rather than Carrick, as the younger man's legs can do some of Schweinsteiger's running for him. When Carrick is played in the holding role, Schneiderlin—or Fellaini in some circumstances—can play the more advanced role.
Mostly, Fellaini's role should be as backup and potential impact sub. Blind will also likely see more games in defence than midfield, and occasional midfielders such as Phil Jones and Rooney should be able to stick to their preferred roles in all but the most serious injury crises.
In a 2
Although it is a slightly academic argument, in the first halves against Club America and San Jose Earthquakes, Van Gaal's formation was neither quite 4-2-3-1 nor 4-4-1-1. It was a hybrid of the two.
On the right-hand side, Mata's position was that of a wide forward—the type that would be expected in a 4-2-3-1. On the left-hand side, though, Ashley Young played as a left midfielder, in line with his centre midfielders rather than the No. 10.
That technicality aside, it will be fascinating to see whether Van Gaal used that formation because he could fit two full XIs into it or because he is planning to use it regularly once the season starts.
It has clear advantages, especially given United have plenty of players who can play the out-and-out No. 10 role it facilitates. Memphis Depay could thrive there, devoid of the defensive responsibilities that come with a wide berth in a 4-3-3. The same could be said for Adnan Januzaj and Andreas Pereira.
Van Gaal may also feel he now has the personnel he can trust to make up the two in the 4-2-3-1. Either Carrick or Schweinsteiger alongside Schneiderlin or Herrera should be a complementary pairing. Those would be the logical partnerships.
The first-choice option of those should be Schweinsteiger alongside Herrera. The German beats out Carrick because of his all-round game. He is more likely to contribute goals and assists, based on past numbers. He is more likely to get stuck into a tackle, and he is one of the few whose passing is a match for Carrick's.
Herrera would get my pick ahead of Schneiderlin because of the huge impact he had on United's fortunes last season. Schneiderlin is a fine signing and an excellent addition to the squad, but Herrera is not a player on whom United need to upgrade.
It has some disadvantages too, notably that the wide players will have more defensive responsibilities—something that affects Mata in particular. Of course, by signing Matteo Darmian, Van Gaal has upgraded his options at right-back, which could mitigate against this.
Whichever of the two systems Van Gaal picks, he has the personnel in midfield to make it work.
In a three, my suggestion for the strongest lineup would be Schweinsteiger, Herrera and Carrick/Schneiderlin. In a two, it would be Schweinsteiger and Herrera.
The mythical first XI has clearly been strengthened, but the real joy for United fans comes from knowing an injury to Carrick is no longer the disaster it once was. The Red Devils once again have a midfield to be reckoned with.
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